


Soulmate AU Drabbles

by Kooriicolada (WHM_Koorii)



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Drabbles, F/F, Humor, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:42:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29537001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WHM_Koorii/pseuds/Kooriicolada
Summary: A collection of Soulmate AU drabbles of the Final Fantasy VII persuasion.
Relationships: AVALANCHE & Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart, Genesis Rhapsodos/Vincent Valentine, Sephiroth/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 22
Kudos: 64





	1. Genesis/Vincent

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Each other’s initials on their wrist/palm/etc

Vincent's soulmark is located high on his left shoulder and doesn't appear until he's well into his twenties. It appears in dark ink, an intricate and stately GR in sweeping calligraphy. He has no idea what it says about his soulmate except that they'll grow up to have great penmanship. It also doesn't bode well for whatever fleeting thoughts of romance soulmates tend to engender. Honestly, he'd thought his soulmate was long dead and had been grateful for it.  
  


It had been easier loving Lucrecia and not worrying about having a soulmate out there. Maybe he'll be a mentor to his young, erstwhile soulmate.  
  


He barely has time to think though. Hojo puts a bullet in him and Lucrecia puts something  _ worse _ in him and then he just turns off. Vincent is too full of regret and pain, shattered with grief and helplessness.  
  


He wasn't able to do anything for the woman he loved or her unborn child. What use was he for some other child out there that he didn't even know?  
  


-  
  


Angeal is dead and Genesis is as good as. He sits in the depths of what used to be his hometown and contemplates the mark sweeping darkly across the back of his hand. It's a slanted W as far as he can tell. While it's not uncommon for people in this world to lack a last name it  _ does _ make it harder. It's useless, in the long run.  
  


His skin around the mark is pale and cracked, bits sloughing away without his glove on to hold them. The mark itself, however, is as stark and pristine as ever.  
  


Genesis wonders if they'll feel anything at all when his initials fade from their skin.  
  


-

  
The strangest part of waking up, of letting Cloud and his ragtag group drag Vincent from his slumber, is that his soulmark is still fresh as spilled ink. Oh, it was a given that they could still be alive, but somehow…. Well, Vincent's luck wasn't that good.

  
Not that he'd seek them out. What good was a soulmate still wallowing in lost love? A shattered broken beast with nothing left but vengeance and penance?  
  


-  
  


Weiss, when he wakes, tells Genesis the whole, long story. About Deepground, about Omega WEAPON, about Chaos and Vincent Valentine. Still, Genesis doesn't make the connection--a fact he's chagrined about later--until he's availed himself of the WRO's archives.  
  


Reeve Tuesti is an interesting man, and though Genesis has no intention of tying himself to the organization he  _ does _ have a vested interest in what's been done with his cells.   
  


It's there that it finally clicks in place. Innocuous on a written report copied into the WRO's system. A document signed with a familiar, slanted W which on closer inspection is in fact two V's running together.  
  


_ Vincent Valentine. _ Of course.  
  


-  
  


7th Heaven is quiet at this time of day. There's only Tifa at the bar, currently on the phone with who Vincent assumes is Cloud, and himself. When he'd arrived Tifa had shoved a cocktail called a Tonberry Tickler into his hands and sent him to sit. She's called his drink choices boring and predictable before. So far he hasn't touched it.  
  


Reeve had been  _ vague _ about wanting Vincent to meet some new contact. No name, no information. It makes everything in Vincent, from beast to man, itch.  
  


The door opens and Vincent lifts his head. A man walks in in a flurry of red leather and long legs. His bootheels tap across the floor in an unhurried staccato beat. He's clearly someone who walks into a room and  _ owns  _ it, the very antithesis to Vincent's preference for crawling in the shadows. Vincent sees Tifa watching him with narrow, suspicious eyes.  
  


The man swans to a stop alongside the table Vincent was hunched over. "You," he says, head tilted back haughtily, "have abhorrent handwriting."  
  


Vincent gives a long, slow blink. He refuses to tip his head further than necessary to observe his new 'contact'. "It was requested I type further reports," he says inanely. Phones, typing reports… He's not sure where they expect him to keep everything. He doesn't exactly  _ live _ anywhere.  
  


His visitor sniffs and then deigns to slide into the booth across from him. He doesn't seem to mind that the room is at his back. Either he's  _ good _ or he's  _ arrogant _ . Vincent suspects it's both. "Our meeting has been long fated," he says, pulling at the fingers of a glove as vividly red as his coat.  
  


Vincent blinks slowly again, the claws of his gauntlet clicking together slowly beneath the table. "Ah?"  
  


A pale hand presses flat on the table between them, a vivid and familiar signature taking up the entire back of it. "I'm Genesis Rhapsodos and  _ you  _ are my soulmate."  
  


_ Ah _ , Vincent thinks,  _ how unexpected.  
  
_

All he can think to say is: "This meeting was a ruse."  
  


Genesis looks at him for a long moment, then lets out a soul deep sigh. "At least you're not a complete fool."  
  


Vincent resents his tone, but it's a fair assessment. His social skills  _ do _ leave much to be desired, he's been told. So he adds, "It's a pleasure to meet you."   
  


That, at least, gets a quicksilver smile. Vincent imagines for a moment that this isn't a terrible idea.


	2. Sephiroth/Cloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where you have a meter that shows how dangerous your soulmate is.

It's more than a little disappointing. The meter tracing up the inside of Sephiroth's wrist has been set at a low, cool green-blue since he can remember. At first it had meant little to him. Hojo had told him it was unimportant, and that to a specimen of his caliber should be ignored. But then Angeal and Genesis had come along and he'd learned more about it, more about how deep a soulbond could be. He could see how close it drew them, how much joy they found in watching their meters rise as they matched each other in growing strength.  
  


Blow by blow it tied them closer and closer.  
  


Sephiroth had found himself craving that, and the disappointment in the cool, unthreatening color of his own tore at him more than he cared to admit.  
  


It was only one more piece of fuel on the conflagration of his anger. When it erupted, Nibelheim  _ burned _ .  
  


Too caught up in his own madness and rage, Sephiroth never noticed the little meter go from cool blue-green to achingly vivid red as Cloud's hands wrapped around the blade of Masamune where it entered his torso.

  
  


**Extra: The Counter Crisis AU version  
  
**

The helicopter skimmed low over jungle thick treetops: Mideel was a green expanse below them. The coast was near enough that he could see water glinting off the ocean in a thin, distant line. It was galling that he was being called in for this: A bunch of mad hippogriffs. Hewould have thought that a company of security personnel lead by Zack would have been more than enough.  
  


Sephiroth supposed he didn't mind the opportunity to take out his unending restlessness on them. He also supposed that this was the reason he was on stand-by after all.  
  


Another pulse of sharp warmth radiated up from his wrist and he frowned. It had been last night when it had started. The sharp bloom of heat was painful enough to make even him hiss in surprise. The soulmark, the meter of his soulmate's power, had gone from cool green-blue to a searing red, sudden and shocking.  
  


What his apparent soulmate had done to themselves he couldn't even begin to fathom.  
  


Sephiroth's hair was jerked by wind as the helicopter door was opened. Before the pilot could say anything, Sephiroth leapt from the helicopter. As soon as he hit the ground in the clearing below there was a rush of motion and then he was locking blades. The face across from him was creased in determined desperation, brows knit and blue eyes half-wild.  
  


And wearing a trooper uniform.  
  


It wasn't hard to put two and two together and get the idea that someone had suddenly come into a lot of power. Sephiroth's mouth tilted into a smile, something victorious and roaring rising through him.  
  


Across from blue eyes widened.  
  
Yes, this one was  _ his _ .


	3. Zack/Cloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cellphones between soulmates are in the same condition (cracked screens are in the same places)

Zack's hip deep in swamp water, phone miraculously dry, when he goes to call Angeal. Right before he can thumb the call button the plastic goes  _ crack _ and the phone falls apart in his hand. It's the second one this week to bite it. If his phones weren't provided by ShinRa he'd be crying at this point.  
  


"Come ooooon," he whines.   
  


With a groan he drops what's left of it into the swampy water he's standing in and then hauls one leg up out of the sucking mud and takes a step. Then another, then another. When he made First he was never going to take these missions again.  
  


Whatever it was that had created the weird lifestream based bond with cellphones was the  _ worst _ . Reception might be amazing since they were carried via the wave output of the lifestream but…. Was it really worth this?   
  


Was it really worth having the person your own soul was closest to mean your phone broke when their's did? Sometimes he wasn't so sure. The whole soulmate concept was great on the surface but whoever Zack's was they couldn't keep a phone in one piece to save their life.  
  


With a final  _ squelch _ Zack drags himself free of the thick mud and onto firmer land. Angeal is waiting for him a few feet away.  
  


"I don't think I've ever seen you look  _ murderous _ , Zack," Angeal says. "You don't pull it off well."  
  


"Laugh it up, man," Zack grouses. "My phone broke. Again." Angeal's chuckle is as rich and deep as ever and Zack wants to punch him for a moment. Then the bad mood leaves him along with a sigh that sounds more like he's deflating. "How come you're not covered in mud?"  
  


"First class technique," Angeal says. "Maybe I'll teach you someday."  
  


Zack slumps all the way down in a crouch, filthy hands curling in his filthy hair and lets despair take him.  
  


"For growing up in Gongaga you let a bit of wet and mud get to you."  
  


"It's more than a bit, Angeal!"  
  


—   
  


There's a janitor stepping off the elevator as Zack gets onto it. The dirty look he gets just makes Zack slump more. The man steps off the elevator and pointedly begins to mop the trail of muck up where it trails to Lazard's office and then back again.  
  


"Sorry," Zack says meekly as the doors close between them.  
  


He steps back off in the lobby, glad that the muds dried enough that he's just leaving little flakes instead of an entire slug-like trail. He's walking down the steps out front of the building when he realizes he hasn't gone to requisition a new phone.  
  


"Damn!" he yelps and one of the suits nearby startles and drops a folder. Turning on his heel, Zack trudges back up into the ShinRa building and back to the elevator. He just wants to go  _ home _ .  
  


—   
  


There's a trooper in one of the little plastic seats in the requisition office when he gets there, clutching his helmet on his lap alongside a paper number. Zack grabs his own number and slouches down near him, one seat between them. He's a people person by nature and waiting rooms just make him want to gossip.  
  


The requisition desk is the worst. They like to leave you waiting even when they're clearly not busy. Like now. They particularly like to make  _ him _ wait because he's here just about once a week.  
  


"So, what's got you stuck in req?" he asks after what feels like a half an hour but in reality is probably two minutes.  
  


The trooper startles and looks up at him. Huge blue eyes through sunshine blond fringe. He's  _ adorable _ . His eyes widen a little as he takes in the muddy SOLDIER gear then he looks away. His face goes from surprised to sulky.   
  


"Phone," he says. "Broke it in a fight earlier."  
  


"Oh man, same. Well the phone part. My soulmate trashed mine."  
  


Private Pretty Eyes' scrunches his face up. "I try not to think about that."  
  


Zack slouches back in his seat, ignoring the shower of dry mud that flakes off him. "Aw, not interested in the soulphone connection?"  
  


There's a long, drawn out connection that's followed by a heartfelt groan. "Not when people call it  _ that _ ," his new friend spits. He sounds like an offended cat. Zack loves it. He grins, staring at the wall ahead of him in an effort to avoid laughing at whatever expression he's getting.  
  


"When I meet mine," Zack says, "we're going to have a long conversation." His new friend makes a slight noise which Zack takes as an invitation. "This is the third wrecked phone this month. Two within a week."  
  


"Oh," the trooper says, quiet as a breath.   
  


Before Zack can ask one of the workers at the desk calls, "Strife. We've got your new phone."   
  


'Strife' rockets out of his seat and over to the desk. He takes the sleek black box with it's ShinRa logo, shoulders hunched. "Thanks."  
  


"That's three this month. If you break another one you'll have to wait until next month."  
  


Strife shoots Zack a wild-eyed look while he's poleaxed by possibility and high tails it out of req. His immediate thought is to run after him, but for once in his life Zack sits, thinks, and then grins.    
  


As soon as he's called up to the desk to order his new phone he says, "Can you give me the cute blond's phone number?"


	4. Aerith/Tifa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is impossible to lie to your destined soulmate

"Cloud and I grew up together. Nothing more," Tifa of the Very Big Biceps said. Aerith smiled at her brightly. Aerith wondered if they were soulmates, or just romantic partners. Given the flash of upset, the hesitation, in Tifa's words.  
  


"Poor Cloud," Aerith said teasingly. "Having to stand here while we call him nothing."  
  


Lower lip caught between her teeth, Aerith choked back her laughter as Cloud tried to avoid Tifa. Poor thing. It was adorable how embarrassed he was. It was more than a bit unfair what a pretty picture the two of them made. Tifa with her strappy number that showed off solid shoulders and corded arms, the skirt short enough for flashes of equally strong thigh. Then there was Cloud looking demure and surprisingly soft despite the way his shoulders still showed a masculine broadness.  
  


In a word: Deeply unfair.  
  


"What's with that look on your face?" Cloud muttered, head angled to the side sulkily. Tifa looked up and over at her, loose dark hair sliding over a pale shoulder.  
  


"Mmm," Aerith hummed. "Secret." She glanced between the pair. "Do you two need a moment? I can go over there and absolutely eavesdrop." She choked as the words left her. She'd  _ meant _ to say that she could cover her ears and not listen.  
  


Tifa's mouth rounded in a surprised  _ oh _ that quickly transformed into a crooked grin. Her eyes narrowed in amusement. "That so?"  
  


"Sorry," Aerith squeaked. "Not about planning to eavesdrop." The urge to clarify was uncontrollable, unstoppable. She brought her hands up in front of her mouth. "Just for blurting it out."  
  


"For being caught?" Tifa asked.  
  


"Yes." Aerith groaned.  
  


Cloud tipped his head back, his first move from the demure and embarrassed pose he'd been in, chin tucked in close. "Tch. I guess that means you'll have to find another way to pay me back. I'd almost say you owe me even more."  
  


"Excuse me!" Aerith huffed, shaking a finger at him. "I'm the one who got us in here when you were worried about Tifa!" She grinned then. "But you're not  _ completely _ wrong."  
  


Tifa swung her head back and forth between them, eyes narrowed. "Cloud?"  
  


"What?"   
  


Aerith bit back on a laugh. It was endlessly amusing how  _ sulky _ he was about things. Not brooding, but almost bratty. It was for the best really. Pretty as he was, she'd already had a taste of heartbreak from a SOLDIER before. Her heart panged at the thought, but it was easy enough to bury. She'd had time, after all.  
  


"I have an idea!" Aerith said. "How about this. My payment to you will be, hmmm. My help getting you in here and helping you two out with what Tifa needs from Corneo. And I'll transfer my payment of one date to Tifa!" And hopefully more dates afterward. Aerith edged closer and slipped her arm around one of Tifa's, fingers resting on the swell of her bicep, just above her elbow. "How does that sound?"  
  


Tifa looked at her, eyes just a little wide. Aerith wasn't sure she was breathing.  
  


"Great," Cloud said. "Now that we have that figured out: Why  _ are _ you here, Tifa?"

  
Startling, Tifa looked between them then rolled her shoulders back. Aerith could  _ feel _ the flex of muscle. It was wonderful. "Well," Tifa said. "Here's what I know…."


	5. Cloud & AVALANCHE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meter of how dangerous your soulmate is

Cloud never gave much of a hoot about soulmates. He'd been born with  _ eight _ meters. Cloud was what people called a  _ nexus _ . A person who was the lodestone to a group— someone meant to bring and hold them together. What it was was annoying.  
  


They  _ constantly _ felt like they were burning, not hot or painful but an awareness that made Cloud itch at them. His Ma had taken to wrapping his arm in bandages when he was small to stop him making himself bleed.   
  


Everyone else he knew had one if any at all. Tifa only had one, anyway, and Ma didn't have any. It wasn't uncommon not to have one, in fact it was more rare to have any at all. The folk in Nibelheim whispered alternately that it was a curse or a blessing. Either way, they'd say, it meant you were going to have an interesting life. Cloud just wished they'd make up their minds about which it was.  
  


He first realized that one of them was  _ Tifa _ when her mom died. One of the little meters on his arm burned more than usual, making little hitches and jumps in growing color. Then there was the bridge, the fall. The mark had been dulled until Tifa's injuries healed.  
  


Her dad still tells him to stay away. Maybe because of it. Cloud's not sure.  
  


But then he's leaving for Midgar and he fails to get into SOLDIER and everything just seems to keep on falling apart until all he knows is mako green and a kind voice. Then there's Tifa again, the green is gone, and he's blowing things up and trying to get  _ out _ of this nonsense.  
  


Tifa tells him she's one of his soulmates and he believes her, because who else can he trust except  _ Tifa _ . Putting up with her friends is another matter entirely.  
  


But one of the meters is growing in concert with the ratatatat of Barret's gun arm, and after that they come in constantly. Aerith follows, then Red XIII. There's Yuffie, Vincent and Cid. The strangest one comes in the form of Cait Sithe, which is the first clue Cloud has that there's someone behind the thing. The betrayal is still a surprise, a sting.  
  


Then Aerith dies and Cloud's left wearing a mark that's gone stone cold and dark. Frozen in place and never to inch higher again. But there's little time to grieve when his world is falling to pieces alongside his mind.  
  


They make it out somehow, Cloud pulls himself together, pulls them together. It works.  
  


**EXTRA:**   
  


"What did you call them?" Tifa asks a little distracted.   
  


Cloud blinks slowly from where he's settled at the bar. "I always thought of them as experience bars."

**Author's Note:**

> I am currently taking prompts for these! Check out this big ol' list over here and send me one if you so desire.
> 
> https://kooriicolada.tumblr.com/post/643423392956022784/links-for-all-soulmate-au-lists


End file.
